Look Good Feel Better: Creating Confidence and Connection for Cancer Treatment Patients

The nonprofit organization, Look Good Feel Better, is dedicated to empowering cancer patients undergoing treatment to regain their confidence and identity. When undergoing cancer treatment, patients face many mental and physical challenges. Many patients experience visible changes to their appearance that affect their self-esteem, confidence, and self-identity. Look Good Feel Better provides a range of beauty services to help patients reclaim a sense of self. 

During cancer treatment, patients face an array of physical changes like hair loss, skin changes, and body changes. As appearance is closely tied to personal identity, changes to our appearance can feel like changes to our identity. Beyond the visible effects of treatment, many patients also experience increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation. Which can further contribute to a loss of identity. 

While medical treatment focuses on curing the disease, Look Good Feel Better provides a supportive outlet for patients to cope with these appearance-related changes. Offering services primarily geared towards women but also available to men and teens, the nonprofit helps participants regain a sense of confidence, control and identity during their journey. 

Beauty Services

Look Good Feel Better offers an array of services designed to meet patients where they’re at in their journey: 

1. In-Person Workshops

In-person workshops are held at hospital sites across the country. The two-hour workshop is led by licensed beauty professional volunteers who teach patients simple skin care, makeup, and wig and head covering techniques. Not only can workshops help boost the self-esteem of patients, but they can also provide connections with others in similar circumstances. 

2. The LGFB Live! Virtual Workshops

The LGFB Live! Virtual Workshops are held in the privacy of your own home. LGBF offers five different workshops in English and three in Spanish. These topics include skincare and makeup, wigs and head coverings, scarf-tying techniques, body image, wardrobe and styling, and Nail Care. Virtual workshops require prior registration

3. The Beauty Guide 

The Beauty Guide provided by LGFB offers full access to information and tips for makeup, hair care, nail care and style. While the workshops require registration, the Beauty Guide is accessible at all times via their website. This guide helps patients feel their very best at that very moment. 

Linda Pierce: Regaining Confidence and Control

Linda Pierce, a 66-year-old woman diagnosed with peritoneal cancer, experienced firsthand the transformation that Look Good Feel Better provides. Following her diagnosis, Pierce began chemotherapy, which quickly resulted in the loss of her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. “Losing them I thought I really for the first time looked really sick,” Pierce shared. During her workshop, she was taught many skills, including how to draw eyebrows with an eye pencil. Though this technique may seem small, for Pierce, it was the first step in regaining her sense of control and self-identity. “Being able to take charge of something in your life at a time like this is really good, because with cancer, you have no control over anything,” Pierce said. 

“Putting on the makeup is just one small aspect of life — but it’s an important one.”

Confidence and Connection 

Look Good Feel Better provides more than beauty tips–they help cancer patients reclaim their identity and self-confidence. Not only do these programs help patients cope with physical changes, but also with mental challenges by giving patients a sense of connection and community. By supporting Look Good Feel Better, you can help bring confidence, comfort, and connection to those navigating cancer treatment. Visit Look Good Feel Better to learn more about their mission, services, and how to get involved.